Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Quotes of the Morning: Making Good With GOP

“Let’s start off this morning with a man who recently found Jesus, or at least the Republican Jesus, Mr. John McCain.” -Skippy

“Sen. John McCain threatened on Tuesday to cut short a speech to union leaders who booed his immigration views and later challenged his statements on organized labor and the Iraq war. ‘If you like, I will leave,’ McCain told the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted. […] Later, the senator outlined his position on the Senate immigration debate, saying tougher border enforcement must be accompanied by guest-worker provisions that give illegal immigrants a legal path toward citizenship. Murmurs from the crowd turned to booing. ‘Pay a decent wage!’ one audience member shouted. ‘I've heard that statement before,’ McCain said before threatening to leave. […] But he took more questions, including a pointed one on his immigration plan. McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona. Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain's job offer. ‘I'll take it!’ one man shouted. McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. ‘You can't do it, my friends.’ Some in the crowd said they didn't appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic. ‘I was impressed with his comedy routine and ability to tap dance without music. But I was impressed with nothing else about him,’ said John Wasniewski of Milwaukee. ‘He's supposed to be Mr. Straight Talk?’" -Associated Press, April 4, 2006

“Maybe he just doesn’t get it.. The problem isn’t that Americans can’t do hard work. The problem is that they aren’t paying $50 an hour for picking lettuce (the equivalent of $100K a year if work like that could be found all year long). The pay is nowhere near that for the migrant, and frequently illegal, immigrants that are brought in to do the work, and those workers have few if any of the legal protections that American laborers do. To claim that Americans can’t do the work, and that apparently only Mexican laborers can, is insulting. Pay a living wage and have adequate workspace protections and Americans can do anything. No wonder McCain is looking to get tight with Republican Jesus. Once you’re made with them you can do no wrong.” -Skippy

“In response to news reports that Rep. Tom DeLay is planning to end his race for reelection and resign from Congress, Vision America President Dr. Rick Scarborough called the former House Majority Whip ‘a man of courage and commitment, and a friend of over 20 years.’ ‘More than anyone in Washington, Tom DeLay fought our battles -- to end the horror of abortion, preserve the sanctity of marriage, rein-in a runaway judiciary and keep America one nation under God. We would be ingrates indeed if we did not take this occasion to express our appreciation for the contributions of this great man,’ Scarborough declared.” -Press Release, Vision America, April 4, 2006 “Vision America (a religious right group), is still there backing DeLay. Really there is nothing that DeLay could do that would stop their support shy of helping out at an abortion clinic. It isn’t like Tom is stepping down voluntarily.” -Skippy

“Succumbing to scandal, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday he will resign from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style. Last week, former DeLay aide Tony Rudy pleaded guilty to conspiring with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others to corrupt public officials, and he promised to help the broad federal investigation of bribery and lobbying fraud that already has resulted in three convictions.” -MSNBC, April 4, 2006 “You see, DeLay is leaving after corruption and bribery scandals, and an indictment hit. He is, simply, a crook. That won’t stop his support though.” -Skippy

“‘He has served our nation with integrity and honor,’ said Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, who succeeded DeLay in his leadership post earlier this year.’ -MSNBC, April 4, 2006 “Integrity and honor aren’t exactly what I would associate with a bribery and corruption scandal, but apparently that passes for it in the GOP right now.. I can hope that locally the religious right is as forgiving. Ken Blackwell, running for Governor of Ohio with the full backing of the religious right, accidentally had a little conflict of interest recently.” -Skippy

“Secretary of State Ken Blackwell made an embarrassing announcement Monday: He accidentally bought stock in Diebold Inc., a voting machine maker that benefited from decisions made by his office. In a required filing with the Ohio Ethics Commission, the GOP gubernatorial hopeful said his hefty portfolio included 178 shares of Diebold stock, which sold for a loss. ‘While I was unaware of this stock in my portfolio, its mere presence may be viewed as a conflict,’ Blackwell wrote in a letter that accompanies his annual financial disclosure statement. […] In his duties as secretary of state, however, Blackwell's staff narrowed the list of companies eligible to replace Ohio's antiquated voting equipment with more modern technology. The Green-based Diebold made the cut, and a rival firm accused Blackwell of improperly favoring the Ohio company. Diebold also drew the ire of critics after then-CEO Wally O'Dell sent a fund-raising letter in which he committed to deliver Ohio's electoral votes to President Bush in 2004.” -Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 4, 2006 “You know how it is.. You wake up one morning and find out that you accidentally bought stock in a company that you were pushing through the State system. The same company that promised to give Ohio to Dubya in 2004. Oops.” -Skippy